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Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure
Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure is a 1997 American animated adventure comedy film produced by GoAnimate Animation for Universal Pictures. The second feature film from GoAnimate Animation, it was directed by Brian Sharp (in his directorial debut) from a screenplay by Sharp and Malcom Maddox and a story by Kendrick Hofmeister, Sharp and Jared Brady, and features an all-star cast that includes Conor Micheales, Steven Myers, Kirsten Dunst, Matt LeBlanc, Robin Williams, Al0icia SIlverstone, Ben Stiller, Steve Martin, and Val Kilmer. Set in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, the films centers on two teenage brothers (Michaels and Myers), who journeys across the town to defend its liveliness against Max DeFaux (Kilmer), a demented, colorblind elder and the owner of the Forbidden Brothers Squad who intends to desaturate the world in order to satisfy his "nostalgic and sweet taste". Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure ''was originally conceived by Geo and Wildshill in the 1980s while working at Hanna-Barbera. GoAnimate Animation was approached by Universal to produce an animated feature film in 1988. The film, whose original draft was completely different from its final version, initially began pre-production in January 1991 for a release in December 1993, and was intended to be the first feature-length animated film directed by Brian Sharp, who designed the characters for the film. However, it was later abandoned by GoAnimate Animation in early 1990, but the studio restarted production on the film for a 1997 release, with the script being rewritten. ''Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure was originally released in theaters on December 5, 1997 to critical acclaim from critics, who praised its concept, animation, characters, music, voice acting, and themes. It was a success at the box office, earning over $489 million worldwide on its $50 million budget, making it the highest-grossing animated film of 1997, as well as the fourth highest grossing film of 1997 overall. It was later released on VHS on April 21, 1998, on DVD on May 2, 2000, and on Blu-ray on May 25, 2010. A television series based on the film aired on Fox Kids from September 1998 to December 2002, and a sequel, Darren and Daniel's Remarkable Adventure was released in July 2017. Plot Coming Soon! Cast * Conor Micheales as Darren (Paul) * Steven Myers as Daniel (David/Zack/Evil Genesis) * Beverly Orr as Sarah, Darren and Daniel's Mother (Kimberly) * Mark Collins as Kevin, Darren's Father (Eric) * Kirsten Dunst as Molly, Darren's love interest (Princess) * Matt LeBlanc as Gordon (James) * Robin Williams as Rusty (Brian) * Alicia Silverstone as Cindy, Daniel's Love interest (Kayla) * Ben Stiller as Randy (Eric) * Steve Martin as Kerry (Dave) * Val Kilmer as Max DeFaux (William) Production Development Coming Soon! Design Coming Soon! Animation Coming Soon! Music ''Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure/Soundtrack'' The film's original soundtrack was released by Decca Records on November 25, 1997. The score for the film, composed by Silvestri, was released through UMG Records on December 2, 1997. Release Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure was theatrically released by Universal Pictures on Christmas Day, December 5, 1997 in the United States and Canada. Marketing The film was accompanied by a promotional campaign by Burger King. * The first teaser was released on November 15, 1996, and was shown before Space Jam, Jingle all the Way, and 101 Dalmations. ** The first official trailer was released on May 16, 1997, and was shown before The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Hercules, George of the Jungle, and Good Burger. *** The second official trailer was released on September 5, 1997, and was shown RocketMan, and Flubber. *** TV spots began to air from November to December of 1997. Home media Darren and Daniel's was released on VHS on April 21, 1998, and was later released on DVD on May 2, 2000. The DVD release included an audio commentary by Brian Sharp, Kendrick Hofmeister, and Jared Brady., a 28-minute making-of documentary, a gallery of concept art, storyboards, test footage, deleted scenes, and DVD-ROM features. GoAnimate Animation's 1995 short film Mo and the Great Pirate rescue was also included. On June 1, 2004, a 2-disc "Special Edition" was released featuring the same special features from the original 2000 DVD as well as new ones including a sneak preview of Gingo's third feature film Computeropolis. The film was released for the first time on Blu-ray on May 25, 2010. Reception Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10 based on 167 reviews. The site's critical consensus states: "Darren and Daniel's Epic Adventure's title promises adventurous family fun, enriched by a high-spirited voice ensemble, a visionary plot, and plenty of gags throughout." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 77 out of 100 based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". More Coming Soon! Box office The film was released on December 5, 197, and grossed $50,865,041 on its opening weekend (Friday, December 5, 1999), landing #1 at the box office. By the end of its theatrical run, it got to earn a worldwide gross of $489,684,359, becoming the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film of the year, as well as the highest-grossing animated film of 1997. Accolades Coming soon! Other media Coming soon! References Category:Films Category:Universal Pictures films Category:1990s Category:1997 Category:Films directed by Brian Sharp Category:GoAnimate Animation's animated films Category:Universal Pictures animated films